Johnny Depp: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

1. Ed Wood - Ed Wood (1994)

If Edward Scissorhands was the film that birthed the Burton/Depp partnership, Ed Wood is the one where they perfected it, and it still stands as the masterpiece of both of their careers.

Another one that seems a tough sell - a biopic of the man declared the worst filmmaker of all time - we instead got a story that was incredibly compelling and sweet, and it becomes impossible not to root for its protagonist.

Depp doesn't need over-the-top make-up here, just a love of the source material, and the feel for playing an outsider. He plays Wood as a man who takes an incredible amount of joy in his craft, no matter the quality of the movies or the obstacles he has to overcome; there's a constant child-like smile on his face, a wide-eyed innocence, and whether he's declaring a terrible take as perfect or donning an Angora sweater he's a character you really care for and want to see succeed, no matter how small the success might actually be.